Common problem with light traps!

[Dun Dign]

I have had many of the Victor 1.75 4x4{ Reg Jaw}8 inch. chain, mid swiveled, double staked, and unusuable after the average Maine Coyote was in it for the mandatory 24hr.check. All were held. Pans, dogs,and frames JUNK! The coyotes run on the average adult 36-40lbs. Sounds like the Dukes are stronger Steve. That's my 2 cents!

[thefoxtrapper]

1031, did you laminate the jaws, baseplate, and bubble tip or bend up the jaw tips? also, welding shut all the rivets is another ace in the hole, just curious, winston

[trappincoyotes39]

Bob I have no chip and take away the paw issue for you and tell me that running 3 seperate lines would no be cost effective? You can run 3 times the equipment over 3 times the land mass in 3 days! Multiple catches would be outweighed by have 3 times the sets to have 3 x's the chances at catches.
Alot depends on animal densitys and weather and time of year trapping. Coyotes I would rather have more good sets over more terrian and look at them every odd day than looking at the same 80 sets every 24 hrs. Same for cats, give me 2-3 seperate lines over different areas any day over looking at the same cat sets day in and day out until I pull and move elsewere.
As far as the 2-3 legged coyotes running around, using good equipment meant for the species and the longer checks negates that all together. I don't have feet in traps, I have coyotes waiting even after the dreaded third day! A 3 day check has no bearing with the ranchers one bit! Theft? I don't think too many are looking at stealing a 15.00 coyote, not to mention the trapper numbers in my area are very low! Majority is private ground as well here, there is BLM and others, but primarly private. Big ranches and access is limited by 4 wheeler or truck and it wouyld take a set to just drive around out here on someones ground, they don't take kindly to it at all. Exspecially in years of drought with what little grass there is, that becomes a most precious commodity to these ranchers and the danger of setting a big grass fire as well!
I know your line of trapping is a niche deal and you "must" check every 24 hr to make the bills, but to say anyone who preaches longer checks is hurting your ability to trap or has a guilty feeling about it is wrong. I hold the coyotes I catch and loose less than 1/2 of 1% even on a 72 hr check. Good traps, good swivels and a solid staking system will hold them fine past the 24 hr mark, not for selling live but for livestock purposes it works well.

[Dun Dign]

Winston, these were stock out of the box, with crunch proof swivels......Started out with 3 dozen almost 20 years ago. also did not like the foot damage. We have built up since then with Sterlings, Jakes, and Mb 650's. Caught lots in them, but about half of them are in the junk box..

[trappincoyotes39]

Another photo! 3 day check and look at the trap condition and the foot, the sterling does the job like this the majority time!

[Dun Dign]

You got it!! Plus there easy to set!! Fun!! for the entire Family!!

[Dusty]

If I can potentially catch more than one critter I set more than one trap.

Marten eating marten is a problem, but usually only if I can't get back for several weeks. That's very rare. It happened last winter due to everflow. Fly over, there's a marten hanging and one eyeballing him, nowhere to land within 5 miles, come back and he's gone, go home, wait a couple days, go back and do it again. Kitten lynx like to eat Mom, but that seems to happen within hours of Mom getting caught anyway.

Luckily (??) rot isn't a problem for me.

I do what works best for me and care not what anyone else does as long as it does not adversly affect my opportunity to retain my trapping privelages in the future.

Now that's a statement I can agree with.

now this sugerdaddy deal, you sure you want the banana belt weather change and the monsoon rains that would happen should I arrive in alaska?

If that happens we'll sell the airplanes and bridgers and buy some boats and rubber traps. Sounds like a fun change of pace!

[bobwendt]

I`m bailing on this one. bottom line is *I* would not leave any animal in a trap alive more than overnight (0-12 hours). I feel no need to explain or justify. I do what *I* feel is right. I can do that.

[ColdSteel]

Bob,I agree with you 100%.Sure a man can catch more fur running 3 different lines I won't argue with that at all.I am sure everyone has different situations to deal with on their line but way too many houses around my line with yard dogs as well as hound hunters are everywhere.As a rule around my parts trapping already has a tarnished name and to leave a animal in a trap for 3 days will not help that at all.

[trappincoyotes39]

Cold steel you hit it, I have zero suburban areas were I live, town of less than 500, the biggest surburban area is 1.5 hrs away! Otherwise all towns less than 500 and very few towns to speak of. The ranchers are from the old school and don't like tree huggars one bit and you might find 1 in 100 in my area at best and beleive me there not a vocal tree huggar either.
This area used to be bigtime sheep, these ranchers all know what coyotes can/will do, so alot help the neighbors who still run sheep by allowing me access, even though alot run cattle now! The sheep market is smoking hot and I for see much more lamb production next year and if the market stays strong more each lambing season, will mean more workload for sure, but these guys make the majority of their money from livestock, very little in cash crops in my area. Predators and livestock don't mix well with most people here, so the majority are a fine bunch of guys and "let you have at it". I know they won't curtail your production and efficantcy over something like trap check times!!!!

[bobwendt]

tc, my wyoming guys were getting over a dollar a pound this year. whats up? spot market to local arab custom? aussies and new zealanders bail? the last 5 years we lost 50% of our sheep men to cattle and one to a dude ranch! I bet they are wishing they hadn`t bailed on the sheep now.

[trappnman]

just fyi- that coyote might have been collected on a 3 day check- but he could have been in the trap 5 minutes.

Victor 1.75 .... I hear from many people that they have problems with traps breaking- I do not get that on Dukes. For all the bad rap- 90% of it by those on another forum that have never USED them- they are one tough trap. I laughed when I read how Duke 1.5s last a year or two then get very weak.. this was serious advice now (tells you the experience level- if MY coon don't wear them out, his 10 lb ones sure aren't)

I'd very much LOVE to run a coyote line on a 48 hour check. I haven't a doubt in the world, that I would substantially increase my coyote catch by doing so. No better lure for a coyote than a coyote in a trap.

Also, a while back- myself, Bob and Wiley had a big debate on peglegs. Bob- you were adamant that the #1 reason by far- almost to the exclusion of other reasons- was wovenwire fences. Wiley and I thought more 1) hunting 2) accidents (car, machinery, etc) 3) traps in about that order.

Are you changing your opinion on peglegs now as being #1 caused by traps?

[bobwendt]

nope, I was referring to hind legs only ,gone clean at the hock, and specified so in the past discussions. Fronts missing a foot are not "twist offs" either, rather a pulled stake and coyote drags trap around a few weeks till the foot mumifies and falls of, toes or the whole foot. A single toe, maybe two- a true twist off, gunshot wounds, so few as to be negligable. hit by cars cause frozen chicken wing legs.

[trappincoyotes39]

Bob don't know whats going on in Aussie and New Zealand land? If sheep are more vouge there now or what and their keepign more in country or if demand in the US for lamb has gone up? I do know that fat lambs are bringing about 1.20-1.30 lb!!!! I know guys that have been oput of sheep for 7-10 years now are back into them, and most of my ranchers have kept back 15-20% of there ewe lambs for breeding above and beyond replacements for next year!
If a guy can get them to market weight without dying the sheep market is a good bet it seems and looks to remain strong for quite sometime, retail price on lamb chops in my area is 12.99 a lb and thats at Sams Club 2 hrs away.

[trappincoyotes39]

tman wrote:just fyi- that coyote might have been collected on a 3 day check- but he could have been in the trap 5 minutes.
I don't dispute your point, but at 1pm in the afternoon I doubt 5 mins ago! My point is that by using what I do, I can go on a 3 day check and have coyotes in much better shape and traps in far better shape, than any factory trap will produce for me on both accounts. I will tell you short chains and vegitation won't be as kind to the coyotes as a longer chain with good swivels and vegitation. Due to the mounding effect and the problems it will cause. If I ran other trap types in this situation, I would have to be more selective on setting locations and also would run a higher loss rate, this I can say with a high degree of certainty. I have tried 1.75's on 2 day checks and they just don't perform like a sterling, when you add in all the variables.
But on your point of how long a coyote may be in the trap, yep I agree they may be the first night or the second night, in fact if I had to guess I would say alot are caught on the 2nd day or the 3rd day, which as you stated having a calling dummy caught in a set will attract other coyotes, I have noticed the best thing in the summer once the pups are moving is to nip a pup first and let him do the calling of the adults into the trap site, oh what an attractor that can be!

[trappnman]

I fully understand your point t35...just pointing out that on a 3 day check- the vast majority of animals are NOT there 3 days....

and don't get me wrong here- I much prefer the Montana, but know that with short chains and 24 hour checks, a Duke 1.75 isn't a bad coyote trap.

I sometimes dream about what my numbers would have been my best year, when I used all 1.75, compared to if I was using all Montanas.

I've caught 7 dogs in the Montansa this year- all released unhurt, uncut and a little wiser. Also a few cats- and those too no foot damage. I'll be using them in just about all locations next year.

[3n]

Dan Curtin (MFWP warden) took a call Sunday morning the 23rd from someone, [1st day of MT’s big game rifle season], who reported seeing a wolf in a trap in the Ninemile Valley, MT. The wolf was caught in a coyote trap (a Montana #3 Coyote Special, 4 coil springs) up Rennic Creek. The warden was able to reach Ted North (WS) and the two of them collared the wolf, a black female 60 lb pup. The trapper was the same one who incidently caught a wolf in the Ninemile last fall. That wolf, 499M just died about a month ago, ending radio-contact with the Ninemile pack. A big thanks to Ted and Dan for arriving quickly, (especially since it was opening day of rifle season), and re-collaring this pack. The trapper was contacted. The wolf's foot was in good shape and the trap was securely staked.